Welder

The Welder provides labor and advanced skilled natural gas-related mechanical work independently or as a member of a crew; performs all functions required of lower construction classifications; performs shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and/or gas metal arc welding (GMAW), in accordance with Company construction, safety and emergency procedures as required.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires a minimum of one year experience as a Construction Technician or equivalent. This position must possess mechanical and physical aptitude, as required, to perform assigned duties.  This position must have the ability to perform all activities associated with the position responsibilities and meet all special requirements.  Employees must demonstrate proficiency in basic layout skills for steel pipe. 

This position also requires knowledge of Company forms and records; Company construction procedures; safety and emergency procedures and practices; construction tools and equipment; natural gas pipe installation and maintenance; operation of line locating equipment and locating procedures; operation of leakage detection equipment and leakage survey procedures; plastic pipe joining techniques.  This position must have knowledge and maintain proficiency in applicable pressure control equipment. Maintain SMAW and/or GMAW welding qualifications as required; SMAW and GMAW welding procedures are optional based on location business needs.  

Employees must pass all written tests and/or hands-on training, or simulations as required for this job classification; this includes all the covered task modules for Operator Qualification. Employees must qualify in all covered tasks in their classification and satisfy all applicable requirements under State and Federal law.

 TYPICAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Perform labor and skilled mechanical work related to installation, maintenance and operation of natural gas facilities
• Excavate and backfill trenches, cut and thread pipe, apply various coatings on steel pipe and fittings, thermite weld, read and interpret Company maps, construction drawings, join plastic pipe and fittings using heat fusion, mechanical or solvent cement methods
• Work under the direction of a crew leader, independently or with others as required
• Ability to quickly analyze and make critical decisions related to the installation or maintenance of subsurface and above-ground facilities by contractor
• Provide situational-specific work direction during emergency response or SWG TAP applications
• Operate and maintain low and high pressure control equipment as required
• Meet and maintain acceptable levels of quality and quantity of work as required
• Perform duties in a manner that is in compliance with Company, local, state and federal regulations, safety and emergency practices and procedures
• Ability to quickly analyze and make critical decisions related to incident response management and work under the Incident Command System (ICS) structure as required
• Read and understand complex design drawings and as-builts
• Perform pipeline purge and re-gas procedures on high pressure distribution and transmission facilities
• Assist with the installation and maintenance of metering, regulator and pressure limiting stations
• Maintain knowledge of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) processes and requirements.
• Successfully complete on-going extensive operator qualification training, and maintain required proficiencies
• Use and maintain protective safety equipment including, but not limited to self-contained breathing devices, flash suits, harnesses and life lines as required
• Operate, clean and maintain assigned vehicles, equipment, tools, and material and complete required documentation
• Operate and maintain leakage detection equipment and conduct leakage surveys as required
• Operate and maintain pipe and cable locating equipment and locate and mark underground facilities as required
• Operate large vehicles and equipment such as, but not limited to, crew trucks, backhoes, trenchers, loaders and boom trucks
• Operate, repair and maintain power and pneumatic/hydraulic equipment including but not limited to generators, pumps, jackhammers, tampers, boring tools as required
• Oversight of preventive maintenance program for all construction related tools and equipment as required
• Train others as required
• Maintain working technical proficiency of lower classifications in the Construction job family
• Conduct a full range of quality control inspections for gas distribution and transmission work, including line locating, leak survey, shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding as required by Company, state and federal regulations
• Perform shielded metal arc (SMAW) and/or gas metal arc (GMAW) welding procedures as required
• Perform layout work related to pipe assembly fabrication
• Complete written and electronic Company forms and records in neat, legible, accurate and timely manner
• Operate computer based software programs as required
• Perform work as required by new technology to include equipment, procedures and methods
• May perform inspection of contracted construction activity to ensure compliance with Company, state and federal regulations.
• May assist supervisor(s) in the timely review, reconciliation and processing of as-built and billing documentation submitted by contractor
• May perform quality control inspection of contracted construction activity to ensure compliance with Company, state and federal regulations
• Perform other duties as assigned with appropriate train
• Regular and predictable attendance is a condition of employment and is an essential function of the job

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 

• Meet and maintain the strenuous physical requirements of the position. 
• Must be able to be on-call. 
• Must be able to be contacted and respond for emergency duty when on-call. 
• Must respond to base location or emergency site within one hour or as division operational needs dictate, subject to Division VP approval, when on-call. 
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and/or other special licenses/certifications. 
• Must be able to meet requirements to acquire and maintain a Commercial Driver’s License. 
• Must be available to perform shift work, staggered workweek, including recognized holidays. 
• Must be available to work overtime. 
• Must be able to wear a complete company-issued uniform. 
• Must be able to wear and use all personal protective safety equipment as operating conditions dictate. 
• Must be able to work in another location, district, or department. 
• Must be able to work outdoors, exposed to extremes in temperatures and conditions. 
• May be exposed to natural gas during the course of work. 
• Must successfully complete all classroom and hands-on training as required. 
• Must comply with Company rules of general conduct, Company policies and procedures. 
• Must be able to use a computer.

This position is regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) under Title 49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40.  Any applicant/employee who performs a DOT-covered function or is licensed and would operate a commercial vehicle for the Company will be subject to drug and alcohol testing under the Company’s DOT drug and alcohol testing programs.  Any employment, transfer, or promotion offer made for this position is contingent upon taking and passing a drug test prior to the commencement of the new role.  If an applicant/employee fails the drug test, any offer of employment, transfer, or promotion will be revoked.

SALARY DETAILS

$32.11 - $42.26

At Southwest Gas, attracting the best talent is key to our strategy and success as a company. We use flexibility to develop competitive compensation offers to ensure we are able to hire the best candidates. The quoted salary range represents the minimum and maximum of the pay range for the position. It is provided as a good faith estimate as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect, as we tailor our offers within the range based on the selected candidate's experience, industry knowledge, location, technical and communication skills and other factors that may prove relevant during the interview and selection process.